SLTDA signs MoU with MDF Australia on Unawatuna beach development

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Government supported Market Development Facility (MDF), to collaborate on a comprehensive development programme for the Unawatuna beach.

Unawatuna, a key tourist destination in the Southern Province, will be developed as a pilot project for a comprehensive, market-based livelihood development programme, with a special focus on employment generation and economic empowerment.

The proposed programme will serve to centralise the market players of Unawatuna, a colourful but scattered market landscape of vendors and hoteliers of varying scales, in a way that is beneficial to all. They will also be encouraged to operate around the clock to better utilize the market opportunities, which also includes a night market.

This is the first step in a larger tourism strategy by the SLTDA to set up a network of ‘micro destinations’ across the island, in line with the government’s ambition of systematically and proactively engaging in planning destinations, as indicated in the new Tourism Strategic Plan 2017-2020.

“An apex tourism body like the SLTDA has the ability to make potentially catalytic innovations in the market, which is why MDF, and the Australian Government, have a keen interest in collaborating with them. The SLTDA has great scope and access to a wide range of tourism businesses, and a night market would be an ideal way of exploring the potential of coastal destination beyond their traditional attractions,” said Australian Government-supported MDF Country Representative Shahroz Jalil, speaking at a signing ceremony held at the SLTDA.

Commenting on the agreement, SLTDA Chairman Kavan Ratnayake said: “Tourism in Sri Lanka has so far been growing opportunistically, and this has proved successful. But the next big step for us is to develop sustainable tourism destinations systematically, so that resources can be allocated where they can deliver the greatest benefit. And it’s important that we start key projects like this as triggers for future industry growth.”